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Bethlehem, Sun 28.8.11, Morning

Place: Bethlehem (300)
Tags: Crowding Slow passage
Observers: Ofra B, Hana A. (reporting)
Aug-28-2011
| Morning
06.55  Bethlehem – Checkpoint 300:

Four inspection windows are open and there are many workers outside.

We thought that the situation is excellent today, but this appears not to be the case. The exit hall is almost empty, but on the Bethlehem side there is a queue as far as the road. Quite simply, people are being taken inside very slowly. The Palestinians complain that they have waited for hours.

Why ?

It should have been possible to make a positive gesture towards the end of Ramadan, and to avoid mistakes like this, whether they happen because of a manpower shortage or any other reason. If there is good-will, it is always possible to find a way to solve the problem.

Hanna Barag lodged a complaint in our name.

  • Bethlehem (300)

    See all reports for this place
    • Located adjacent to the Separation Wall ("Jerusalem Wrap") at the north entrance to Bethlehem, this checkpoint cuts off Bethlehem and the entire West Bank from East Jerusalem, with all the serious implications for health services, trade, education, work and the fabric of life. The checkpoint is manned by the Border police and private security companies. It is an extensive infrastructure barrier and is designated as a border terminal, open 24 hours a day for foreign tourists. Israeli passport holders are not allowed to pass to Bethlehem, and Palestinian residents are not allowed to enter Jerusalem, except those with entry permits to Israel and East Jerusalem residents. Israeli buses are allowed to travel to Bethlehem only through this checkpoint.
      The checkpoint, which demonstrated harsh conditions of crowding and extreme passage delays for years, started employing advanced electronic identification posts and has upgraded its gates' system as of the middle of 2019  - and conditions improved.
      Adjacent to the checkpoint, in an enclosure between high walls and another passage, is the historic Rachel's Tomb, which is now embedded within a concrete fortified building. It contains prayer and study complexes for Jews only, as well as a residential complex. updated  November 2019   .
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